* US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius had this to say yesterday during a press conference with Gov. Pat Quinn…

“I’m pleased also to be here with Gov. Quinn who has been an incredible leader during his term in office for health care, health reform, health initiatives…It’s my pleasure to introduce a great governor and a great leader on health care, Gov. Quinn.”

Sebelius was in Chicago to announce that she’d given conditional approval to Illinois’ health insurance exchange.

* The Question: Without snark, what do you think has been Gov. Quinn’s top accomplishment in office to date?

Administering a $31 billion capital program that’s put thousands of people back to work and kept Illinois from really falling off the fiscall cliff. At the same time it’s bringing a great deal of our infrastructure up to date which will yield benefits for a generation.

Income Tax increase: I agree with siriusly, capitol bill and every other legislative initiative mentioned previously were all the leaders accomplishments PQ really wasnt there to put any deal together. He was out front on the icome tax hike so he wears the jacket/credit.

Closing state DD facilities and moving toward community care for people with developmental disabilities. It’s a tough band-aid to pull off, but Illinois was way behind the rest of the nation. It was courageous, serves the public good, and will change the way people think about and act toward people with disabilities.

Medicaid reform, civil unions, income tax hike, ending the death penalty all rate pretty high on an impressive list of accomplishments.

I think the capital bill is a little premature since the funding issues have delayed its full implementation. At the rate the Gaming Board is moving, we’ll never fully fund the capital bill and lots of authorized projects will never be completed.

I second haverford’s comments. The Governon has stood up to the unions and has done what’s right for persons with developmental disabilities who have been warehoused in outmoded institutions. I only hope that he can close more while he is still in power.

People don’t think he’s competent but in the regular rank and file no one questions his values or ethics or character which considering this state is pretty impressive. He’ll be forgotten pretty easily and overshadowed in a state that remembers people more for their corruption or if they go national, but I think maintaining a public view that he’s at least not a bad guy is his biggest accomplishment.

Don’t marriage counselors also take an approach like this when helping people prevent divorce? They get people to list out what they like about the others. They also have them list things they don’t like about the other. (Full Disclosure: Anniversary was yesterday, 32 years, and I am in Springfield while wife at home. We’ve never needed marriage counseling even though we could debate I need my head examined). Unfortunately, most of the effort is for naught.

Maybe we can ask to post tomorrow’s QOTD as:

“Without snark, what do you think has been Gov. Quinn’s top failure in office to date?

Obviously greatly doubt that he’d win in a landslide, but the more I read these Comments, the more you see what it is he DOES have to run on, which despite some of the setbacks, is plenty actually, as Quinn does have the knack for showing some of that “Comeback Kid” gene in him, like how he was getting battered by Hynes, and later conSIStently behinind Brady in the General, and yet emerged victorious both times! Go figure.

I also agree with many of the suggested top accomplishments notated above. Remember, too, that on a wider scale, PQ also pushed for RECALL of any sitting Governor, a long-overdue Reform which he, long before the Ryan and Blago days of woe, which was finally enacted into law as well under his watch. And there was getting millions in monies for high speed railroads for Illinois.

But, just on the whole, the Gov. really does have to be credited for helping to significantly restore integrity, decency, and respect for Illinois Government–after all of the sickening decay before him–has been his best Accomplishment, kind of what I said years back, like being the “Gerald Ford of sorts of Illinois,” restoring a good degree of honor and dignity to our State overall, and order, helping to guide us through the worst Recession since the Great Depression, and righting the Ship so to speak, following the years of Gubernatorial chaos that preceded him…

Seriously, I have to commend Governor Quinn for pushing the income tax increase on the cusp of the Great Recession. Additionally, and as I have posted before, props to PQ for his constant and meaningful support of our Veterans and active duty military.